[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6244-6245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01873]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Inflation 
Reduction Act Home Efficiency and Electrification Rebate Programs

AGENCY: Office of State and Community Energy Programs, Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of State and 
Community Energy Programs (SCEP) invites public input for its Request 
for Information (RFI) number DE-FOA-DE-FOA-0002981 regarding the 
development of best practices for the Home Energy Rebate programs in 
accordance with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Responses to this 
RFI will be used for planning purposes to develop one or multiple 
opportunities to assist states, territories, Indian Tribes, as well as 
potentially other entities, in designing, managing, and improving the 
Home Energy Rebate programs.

DATES: Responses to the RFI must be received no later than 8 p.m. EDT 
on March 3, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Responses to this RFI may be submitted in two ways. DOE 
prefers responses that are submitted via this online form: https://forms.office.com/g/iuwKCbKpJK. The form includes response boxes for all 
59 questions included in this RFI. Respondents may answer as many or as 
few questions as they wish. Using this online form will allow DOE to 
sort and compare responses by question, which will help agency staff to 
more easily analyze the responses to inform program guidance.
    Responses may also be submitted by email to 
[email protected]. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft 
Word (.docx) attachment to the email, with no more than 10 pages in 
length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. It is recommended that 
attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) 
to ensure message delivery. If submitting responses via email, please 
identify the specific question number and topic area to which your 
response is directed, if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or 
as few questions as they wish. The RFI is located at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. SCEP does not intend to respond to individual 
submissions or publish a compendium of responses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Michael 
Forrester, email at [email protected] or (202) 586-1215. 
Further instruction can be found in the RFI document posted on https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed 
the Inflation Reduction Act.\1\ The energy and climate provisions of 
this bill include tax credits for clean energy technologies, $8.8 
billion in residential energy efficiency rebates, $200 million for 
energy efficiency contractor training, and billions more for clean 
energy research and development, community investment, energy justice, 
and permitting processes. IRA section 50121, Home Energy Performance-
Based, Whole House Rebates (referred to as Home Efficiency Rebates) \2\ 
and section 50122, High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program 
(referred to as Home Electrification Rebates) \3\ established the Home 
Energy Rebates programs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Inflation Reduction Act, Public Law 117-169 (August 16, 
2022).
    \2\ Codified at 42 U.S.C. 18795.
    \3\ Codified at 42 U.S.C. 18795a.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    SCEP intends to use principles of equity and justice to guide IRA 
implementation of these programs, consistent with the Biden 
Administration's commitments to ensure that overburdened, underserved, 
and underrepresented individuals and communities have access to federal 
resources. The IRA implementation processes should advance equity for 
all, including people of color and others who have been historically 
underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty 
and inequality. IRA implementation efforts for the Home Energy Rebates 
programs support the goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of 
certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities (the 
Justice40 Initiative).\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Executive Order 14008, ``Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home 
and Abroad,'' 86 FR 7619 (Jan. 27, 2021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The implementation of the Home Energy Rebates programs aims to help 
American households save money on energy bills, upgrade to clean energy 
equipment and improve energy efficiency, and reduce indoor and outdoor 
air pollution. DOE estimates that the historic home energy efficiency 
and electrification consumer rebates authorized will save households up 
to $1 billion annually. More information about the Home Energy Rebate 
programs can be found on the program's website.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ Accessible at https://stage.energy.gov/scep/home-energy-rebate-program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    SCEP is working to distribute these funds so that households across 
the country can soon access these benefits. Congress has structured 
these rebate programs to be developed and implemented by State Energy 
Offices and Indian Tribes, with DOE providing guidance, support, and 
oversight. SCEP is seeking to build upon the agency's knowledge of home 
energy efficiency and electrification technologies, tools, and programs 
through this RFI.
    The following table describes the purpose, funding levels, and 
eligible entities for the Home Efficiency Rebates and Home 
Electrification Rebates programs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Program name               Authorizing  statute         Funds available        Eligible  recipient(s)                 Purpose
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home Efficiency Rebates.............  IRA Sec. 50121........  $4.3 billion for the period  States................  State energy office ``receiving a
                                                               of fiscal years through                              grant pursuant to this section shall
                                                               September 30, 2031.                                  provide rebates to homeowners and
                                                                                                                    aggregators for whole-house energy
                                                                                                                    saving retrofits[.]''

[[Page 6245]]

 
Home Electrification Rebates........  IRA Sec. 50122........  $4.275 billion to States     States and Indian       The Secretary shall award grants to
                                                               and $225 million to Indian   Tribes.                 ``State energy offices and Indian
                                                               Tribes through September                             Tribes to establish a high-
                                                               30, 2031.                                            efficiency electric home rebate
                                                                                                                    program under which rebates shall be
                                                                                                                    provided to eligible entities for
                                                                                                                    qualified electrification
                                                                                                                    projects.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Purpose

    The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input from States, Indian 
Tribes, local governments, energy contractors, labor organizations, 
manufacturers of energy efficient home equipment and materials, 
community-based organizations, environmental and housing justice 
organizations, disadvantaged communities, and other stakeholders to 
inform the DOE's program guidance for the home efficiency and 
electrification rebate programs. This is solely a request for 
information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement. SCEP is not 
accepting applications through the release of this RFI. SCEP will 
consider responses to this RFI as it develops program guidance, 
expected to be issued as an Administrative and Legal Requirements 
Document in 2023. Specifically, SCEP is interested in public input on 
questions across the following categories:

Accessible and Equitable Program Design
Tribal Implementation of the Home Electrification Rebates
Designing Programs for Maximum Impact
Integrating Existing Incentives and Programs
Opt-In Tools, Resources, Technical Assistance, and Partnerships
Income Verification
Estimating and Measuring Energy Savings
Eligible Technologies for Rebates
Data Access and Sharing
Compliance and Quality Assurance
Job Creation and Quality
Buy American and Supply Chain Considerations
Open Response

    Confidential Business Information: According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any 
person submitting information that he or she believes to be 
confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via 
email, postal mail, or hand delivery two well-marked copies: one copy 
of the document marked ``confidential'' including all the information 
believed to be confidential, and one copy of the document marked ``non-
confidential'' with the information believed to be confidential 
deleted. Submit these documents via email or on a CD, if feasible. DOE 
will make its own determination about the confidential status of the 
information and treat it according to its determination.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on January 17, 
2023, by Dr. Henry McKoy, Director of the Office of State and Community 
Energy Programs, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of 
Energy. That document with the original signature and date is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-01873 Filed 1-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P